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Machine gun found among firearm hoard in Belmont

A HOARD of 26 firearms has allegedly been found at the home of a 23-year-old Perth man after gun parts imported from Slovenia were discovered in the mail.

The man’s Belmont property was searched 11 days after the find and the working parts of a Browning M2 machine gun, four shotguns, a semi-automatic rifle, 11 handguns, 19 silencers, three rifles and knives were allegedly uncovered.

Australian Border Force officers and local detectives say they also found knuckle dusters and ammunition, including 50 calibre machine gun rounds.

The 23-year-old man from Belmont was charged with unlicensed manufacture of firearms/ammunition, unlicensed possession of a firearm/ammunition, three counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a silencer and being an unlicensed person with possession of three or more firearms.

Acting ABF Superintendent Investigations WA, Vesna Watt said this was a great example of state and federal law enforcement agencies working collaboratively to protect the community.

Detective Sergeant Fraser Mainland from Cannington Detectives said that it was concerning to locate firearms of this nature being manufactured or modified in the Perth metro area.

“There is no legitimate reason why someone would need weapons of this type,” he said.

“Many of the firearms seized had been altered or manufactured and would have posed a significant risk to anyone that handled them.”